The present invention relates as indicated to a plant watering container, and relates more particularly to an inexpensive and efficient container for transferring water to the growing media in a plant pot by capillary action.
There are a myriad of watering devices of various types for supplying programmed amounts of water to a pot, including supplying water only to the bottom of the pot. There are many plant species, for example, African violets, in which bottom watering is greatly preferred. Top watering tends to result in over watering of the plant, whereas bottom watering, if done properly, tends to provide sufficient moisture to the plant without the adverse affects of over watering. In each of my earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,343,109 and 4,434,577, a watering tray is provided within which is positioned a support member. A water absorbing pad is positioned on top of this support, with the support being formed with a generally central opening through which a tab cut from the pad material can be depressed for water contact. A pot having a plurality of openings in its bottom wall is positioned on the support, and through capillary action water is transmitted through the tab to the pad, and from the pad through the openings in the pot to the growing media. In both of the patented devices, the support is of smaller diameter than the top of the tray thereby making it rather easy to periodically replenish the water, particularly inasmuch as the watering devices were designed for 4 inch pots. Moreover, due to the mounting of the support within the tray, the amount of water remaining within the tray can be quickly visually determined.
There are many other devices and pot designs for the bottom watering of potted plants. However, to the best knowledge of the inventor, all of these are designed for pots in the range of 3-4 inches in diameter, or even substantially larger. The prior art arrangements, including those of the present inventor, simply are not satisfactory when dealing with miniaturized pot containers. Miniature plants are a relatively recent development in the breeding and production of African violets. Miniature plants are similar in essentially all respects to plants sold in approximately four inch pots, but are grown in pots approximately 4 cm. or 1.5 inches, and even smaller. A pot approximately 4 cm. in diameter at the top is approximately 3 cm. (approximately 1.2 inches) tall. It will be readily apparent that practical obstacles are faced when prior art bottom watering devices are attempted to be relied upon in pots of this size. Although it is possible to position the relatively small pot in a much larger tray, the level of the water in the tray must be kept to a minimum to avoid bottom over watering. Where the tray is very shallow and only slightly greater in diameter than the bottom of the pot, it is very difficult if not impossible to admit water to the small gap between the pot and the top wall of the tray, particularly water in amounts that avoid over watering but yet provide sufficient water to last over a period of days.
As apparent from the foregoing, the providing of proper amounts of water to miniaturized plants has presented a substantial problem which, prior to the present invention, has not been solved. This, in turn, has led and can lead to customer dissatisfaction due to unsatisfactory performances of the miniaturized plants.